Why is the Number 7 Lucky?
by Joyful Sky
Summary: This was meant to be a dump for my Flinx drabbles, at the moment it's just one story. Chapter 8, on his way.
1. Running

How did it come to this?

Jinx thought, she was cold, wet and felt so alone it caused her actual palatable pain.

In her head she wondered if this would be classed as some kind of sick, psychological self harm, that she was inflicting on herself.

She was walking down the hard shoulder on the interstate, it was late at night and rain was falling relentlessly, her thick woollen only soaked the water up like a sponge and her boots advanced through puddles, were more like lakes. Watching the water drip off the end of her nose she shivered, her ears were stinging from the cold and her gloved fingers shook from the bitter, unforgiving weather.

Every car that drove past sent a gust of air in her face, making her glance around, anxious. It was just like when he ran past.

Him, she'd done the one thing she had promised herself that she wouldn't do, she had thought of him.

Everything had been going so well, of course it had been. Jinx had thought her luck had changed. Now it felt all the worse, he had raised her hopes so high and now they had been torn apart. She was in a hopeless situation, nothing but the clothes she was wearing and the few items in the hurriedly packed bag slung over shoulder.

A few days ago her life was great, she'd completed all her high school exams and didn't think they had been a total disaster. She had friends at the Havering Institute, people she could trust. Teachers who tried to inspire, not make themselves feel important.

The Havering Institute was the place she'd come to once she had left HIVE, it was a large enclosed building with a large courtyard in the centre, it catered to around 300 or so students boarding and about 100 who came in every weekday for class. There were kids from all over the world, a partially exotic boy was from Zambia. And all of course had 'unique' abilities like herself. From the age of 18 months up to 19 years. The massive variety of individuals could cause huge personality clashes, but she had met people who she understood and 'got' her. Despite never been a girl's girl she had met Chrisy a glamorous blond who was headed to the Ivy League and who shared her passion for gymnastics and they had become 'best friends'.

For a while, her life had been on a route, she hadn't necessarily known where it led, but was sure it would have been a good place.

Now that could place was gone, as far behind her as Keystone city. The horizon was gloomy and once again any meaning to life was lost. Any joy would be found in memories of better times and as time passed the memories would still be as raw as they day they were made, because whoever said memories faded was wrong, those memories would stay like an open wound. Time would only infect it.

Everything was all her fault of course, to quote many a person 'You're poison, you ruin everything.' Everything that she had thought could have been her future was gone and there was nothing to be done. For the first time in a long time Jinx cursed her powers and the life they'd forced on her.


	2. Running part 2

It had been a pretty normal day, they had gotten a call that Psimon was leading an army of mind controlled people to the city council buildings in an attempt to take control of Keystone city. Sounds much harder than it was, Jinx would sent a few hexes, and in their zombie like state they fell like skittles and KF dashed in to haul them off to the nearest hospital. He was taking the last few people there when she saw Psimon making a scurrying away from the city hall. She hesitated for a moment, should she go after him? They weren't exactly supposed to run after highly dangerous criminals alone, but if she could stop him from getting away until got back, she'd have taken a highly dangerous criminal of the streets, until he broke again of course. But that was another day. Somewhere in her she knew it wasn't going to be that simple, but she didn't have time to consider every possible outcome.

Jinx gained on him quickly, Psimon was tired from the mind control, not that he was a partially fast runner anyway. The sound of her heavy boots on the concrete must have alerted him pretty soon, but he didn't stop, instead he made for the shelter of the group of trees. But she wasn't falling for that, a secluded group of trees at dusk was not a place where she wanted to do battle with a genius, mind controlling super-villain. Instead she sent a curse at his feet sending him flying.

"I'd stay there if I was you."

He turned his head slightly to look at her and before she could react she was frozen, she could she his mouth move, but couldn't understand what he was saying. It could have been seconds or hours before KF arrived in a flurry of red and yellow, he hauled Psimon to his feet and speeding him to jail. Then in a blink he was kneeling down beside her, concern etched across his face.

"Are you okay?"

She tried to lie that she felt fine but all that came out was a moan.

He frowned "That's a no then." Slipping one arm under her kneels and another across her back, picking her up. Then there was a blur of grey as they dashed through the city. Somewhere along the way everything went to black.


	3. Running part 3

This is longer than previous chapters. I'm updating regularly because I just found this on my PC. among my realms of folders, and wanted to do something with it. I don't however intend to update this as often once this sectioned drabble and other oneshots I've found are finished.

Also if anyone notices words, sayings or spellings which aren't used in the USA it's because I'm from the UK and not really sure if some stuff is the same, but I'll do my best.

I don't own anything.

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It felt like only a few seconds later that the black dissolved into a bright light behind her eyelids. Under her head she could feel a pillow and as the feeling returned to her limbs, she could feel them throbbing like she had just ran a marathon. Her head, oh hell, so this is what they mean by a splitting headache she thought.

Opening her mouth to stuck in a gasp in air she winced, mouth felt sore and dry. She waited a moment for the pain to subside in her limbs so she could sit up and have a drink. After a few moments of excruciating pain she realised that it wasn't going to go anytime soon. Cautious she lifted her head slightly. Then with her eyes still shut she lifted her neck a little. Her eyes flickered open, but she had to force them to stay open in the blinding light of the hospital.

At least she thought it was a hospital, it looked like a hospital room, white floor metal bed frame, pastel painted walls and a chair. There was a little TV in the corner, she couldn't see what was out of the window from her angle on the bed, but it looked dark. Then she noticed the windowsill, she was amazed she hadn't noticed it before, because on it was the only bright colour in the, room, red roses, a whole bouquet. She imminently felt much calmer, he must have been.

With that incentive Jinx pulled herself up to lean against the bedstead, searching for a drink. Noticing a full jug and glass set on the bedside table she made to make a drink with her left hand. Seeing her hand reaching she noticing the Iv in the back. Too thirsty to worry about it at that moment she poured herself a drink, restraining herself from gulping it down in one go, she sipped carefully. As she hydrated herself she took in the smaller details of the room, the pattern on the vase of flowers, the colour of the curtains, the readings on the monitors that following her every breath and the little digital clock beside the bed, it read;

4:48am Friday

Friday? When had she collapsed? Through the clearing fog of her mind she grasped the answer, Thursday about 4pm. Twelve hours wasn't to long, but it was enough to know what ever Psimon had done to her must have been serious enough to cause more than a straightforward faint.

Now reasonably assured that she wasn't in any immediate danger Jinx leaned back onto her pillow and waited for something to happen.

6am Friday

By all accounts Jinx was a reasonably patient person, compared to a certain idiots that was, but even the most patient person would tire of waiting at some point. Roe definitely felt that point had passed.

So lifting herself of the bed, pulling her IV bag along with her she made it as far as the door before she realised the degrading hospital gown she was sporting. That would not do, there was no way she was traipsing round some hospital practically bare to the world. There was nothing in the room, except the curtains of course but she was no Maria Von Trapp, furtively she stuck her head of the door on the empty corridor.

It was strange that she hadn't seen anyone or heard anyone for that matter, in the hour she'd waited it had occurred to her that something might be happening and if she hadn't felt like she had just been steamrollered then she probably would have done something before then. As she stepped along the corridor the only noise was the squeak of the of IV stand's wheels, with one hand she pushed it along and with the other she kept the back of her gown from flapping open.

The corridor had rooms leading of it, all were identical to her own room, except for the roses of course. Having a look through one of the windows she saw only a darkened car park below, boxed in with other faded buildings.

Towards the end of the corridor there was some rooms which weren't bedrooms, one looked like a medication room, another alcove held the nurses station, doctors office and a lockeroom. These rooms at least looked like they had on occasion been used, the medication room was fully stocked, the nurses station had a few computers, complete with a swanky screensaver of Rod of Asclepius floating around the screen and the doctors office had paperwork scattered on the desks. The lockeroom appeared to be the most used, with empty coffee mugs in the sink, a few shabby paperbacks on the coffee table and one wall of the room was made up of lockers, some with keys in them. Who could be so trusting? For the briefest of moments she wondered if there was any clothes in one, but she pulled herself out of that idea sharply, that would be some serious moral grey territory she'd be getting herself into and there was no way she was going there. Jinx only worked in black and white, everything else was just too complicated, she left stuff like that to Kid Flash. For that matter where was that speedster?

Anyway her clothes dilemma was solved by a plastic box labelled, lost and found, thrown under the coffee table. Jinx pulled it out using one hand as she wasn't sure her IV line went that far and lifted the lid. Having never been keen on wearing other people's old clothes, she put charity shop clothes through the wash twice before even thinking of wearing them, Jinx wasn't exactly delighted at the prospect of putting them on. But there was no way she could go any further dressed like this. Finding a loose grey shirt and to long jeans which didn't smell to much like the previous owner she pulled the jeans on shuddering at the foreign fabric next to her skin. With the IV it would be no mean feat to put the T-shirt on, so instead she simply pulled the IV off and sticking a band aid from the medical kit on.

Now fully dressed and feeling halfway to normal Jinx headed out of the swing doors to next room, a hallway which housed a elevator shaft, stairwell and door. From here she could hear noise, the lift to be more exact. Preparing herself for whatever fiend was about to spring from the elevator, she assumed a fighting stance on the balls of her feet.

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What do you think? It is certainly OOC.

Thanks by the way for the reviews, much appreciated.


	4. Running part 4

**Hey. I'm not sure about this chapter. There's too much dialogue. I don't own anything. Just to warn you there is some swearing.**

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Almost expecting something sinister she was almost surprised to see a red faced, weedy looking doctor wheeling a trolley piled with varies medical equipment. Seeing her in the corridor he froze dumbfounded.

Then said "Shit. You're supposed to be asleep."

Jinx was rather affronted at his lack of observation "Well I'm not. Where am I?"

"Star Labs, but you need to get back to the bed." The doctor looked worried.

This made her scowl, she was fine, he wasn't much of an doctor if he couldn't see that. "Whatever, look where is everyone?"

He didn't answer instead he left the trolley and ran the short distance to her, grabbed her arm and tried to drag her back through the doors.

Twisting out of his grip she pulled away. "What the hell! What are you doing?"

"Please you need to get back to bed, they're gonna kill me" He was shaking his head and looked distraught.

Jinx had never been good at trying to defuse a situation and this guy was making no sense whatsoever.

"Whoa, calm down, who's going to kill you?"

Stricken he looked at her and almost shrieked "Who'd you think. Dr Kowalski!"

Wondering if it she had really only been out cold for 12 hours she asked. "Who's Dr Kowalski?"

"Head of the superhuman sector of Star labs. He runs this place, he's boss." He paled "I was supposed to stay with you keeping an eye on you, but I got distracted and Martina said-"

Cutting in Jinx said. "So wait, let me get this straight, you left me to possibly die while you gallivanted off with 'Martina' "

"Look you weren't going to die, you fainted that's all." He added "Please just go back to bed, you must be exhausted."

Jinx _was _exhausted and what ever was in that IV must have been keeping the largest part of the pain away, but now she'd torn it out it was returning with a vengeance.

That was probably the reason she nodded and trailed back to down the corridor to her little room.

Bringing his retrieved trolley with him the incompetent doctor looked her up and down then said. "Are gonna tell me what you did with IV."

Jinx had refused the IV again and demanded that the Doctor, Derek it turned out his name was, got her some clothes that didn't smell like they'd been lived in by someone who had never heard of a shower. Derek probably felt that appeasing the person holding the keys to his career was a good idea and said he would bring her some stuff from Martina's locker, who, he assured her had very good personal hygiene. Besides though she wasn't to let Derek know it Jinx wasn't in a picky mood, while he go the clothes she used the staff lockeroom to take a shower. When she got out she found Martina clothes laid out on the staff sofa.

Feeling much cleaner, but decidedly preppy in a polo shirt and white skirt Jinx lay on the bed watching Derek fuss over the sheets he should have been filling in while she was out cold.

"Derek?" She asked.

"What?"

"Do you know who brought me in?"

He looked up. "Course I do, your partner. Kid Flash."

"I guess he went home then." She said eyeing the flowers.

"No, well sorta. He was here till a few hours ago. Then he got a call saying there was some kind of breakout at the super human prison. And then Dr Kowalski got called out too because some of the inmates had hurt themselves in the breakout. So he left me and Marina, cos she's a nurse, here to look after you. You see." Jinx did see, she also saw that he was unable to hold a conversation without mentioning Marina in almost every other sentence.

"Then you and Martina decided to make out on the other side of the hospital."

He reddened. "No, she'd left her cell in Microbiology and needed to get it."

Jinx rolled her eyes "Must have been a big cell to need two people."

"Looked we expected you to be out for hours. Besides." He muttered "Nobody usually gets up and goes for an explore."

"It was weird, a high tech ward like this deserted."

"It's almost always like this, there's a whole a wing of the lab dedicated to super humans, but we only really use the research rooms down stairs and the cloakroom up here. These rooms are in case of a battle were loads of super humans get hurt."

"It's coming back to me now."Jinx nodded. "I think I came here for tests a couple of time. Dr Kowalski is he tall, almost bald?"

"With glasses? Yeah that's him, scares me shitless."

"Hmm. I can imagine." she mumbled, sliding back to sleep.

2 hours later.

Jinx woke to the sound of hushed voices out on the corridor. For a moment she wondered where she was then the memories crashed down on her. Fight, run, blackout, wake, roses, alone, Derek, preppy… It was enough to give a girl a headache. But feeling slightly better than the last time she'd woken in that bed, Roe felt that the improvement merited recognition as a reason to get up. And she did, following the voices as she felt her way along furniture to the door, still a little groggy. Outside stood the infamous Derek and who would have guessed it, Kid Flash. Derek was trying to look all professional with hand motions, while KF watched him, an almost amused look on his face.

Interrupting Derek's vivid arm gestures he said "So basically you don't know what he did to her, except she's fine now."

"Yep, totally fine."

Derek practically jumped out of his skin on hearing her, whereas KF just turned to her and grinned. His eyes examining every inch of her for a sign of injury.

Then he said "What's with the Lacoste?"

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**Yeah the lift thing was a total anti-climax**. **Thanks for reading. I'd like you to review obviously, even if it is to slate me for the dialogue, but don't feel you have to or anything. **


	5. Running part 5

**It's been a while, but the 6 week holidays have just began so expect plenty more updates, if you want them that is! **

**Jinx is referred to as Rosa/ Rosie, because that's what I've given her as her civilian name (I know it's shocking how little imagination I have). She is also called Posy, but only mockingly . KF is referred to as Wally, Wal and West.  
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Back at the Havering Institute Jinx/Rosa was being fussed over by Chrisy and Harriet much to her distaste, she honestly didn't see the problem. But apparently in the real world what had happened with Psiom was deeply concerning.

Not that most people at the institute knew about Rosa's 'extracurricular activities', but Chrisy had made it her life's ambition to find out about why sometimes randomly upped and left and succeeded worryingly quickly. At first Rosa had been practically apoplectic, convinced that Chrisy would let it slip or worse sell the secret for the huge price, as she knew very well, that was offered for details of a superhero's real identity. But Rosa had gradually come to except that Chrisy was her friend and wasn't going to blab however desperate she was for a new pair of shoes.

Chrisy was a leggy blond with supermodel good looks, but she was by no means a bimbo. She was a A* star student who listed her passions as equestrianism, fashion, boys, gymnastics and astrophysics. Like Rosa she didn't normally gel with other girls but with their shared passion for gymnastics had brought them together and they'd hit it off. Rosa liked that Chrisy didn't let what she was define her, she didn't want to be a superhero, all she wanted was to go to one of the best universities and pass with honors, which nobody doubted was going to happen. However deep down Rosa still couldn't bring herself to completely trust her.

Harriet on the other hand was small, curvy, thirty something woman who had taken to wearing cat eye glasses and was in the process of growing out her turquoise highlights. All Harriet had wanted to do was to mother the kids at the institute and it was something she excelled in, not always meeting praise. Of course there was nobody in the institute who feel anything remotely like bad feeling towards Harriet, and Rosa certainly liked the woman, but she wasn't keen on her smothering attitude. Because of this both Rosa and Chrisy dodged her repeated attempts at friendship.

At the moment though dodging Harriet was becoming an impossibility, as she had decided that Rosa in light of her stay at the Lab was most needing of her over brimming kindness. She had taken to asking if Roe was 'OK' every time she saw her.

It was a few days after Roe had left the hospital and it was one of those occasions. Rosa and Chrisy had just finished their daily gym training and were walking across the quad, their was hair still damp from the showers and their gym bags were slung over their shoulders. They were chatting about the colour that Chrisy should die her hair, Rosa thought neon green, however Chrisy was leaning towards a more conventional chestnut brown. When they spotted the figure of Harriet making a bee line for them.

"Shit." Chrisy said irritated.

With that they quicken their pace. Chrisy and Roe were undoubtedly faster than Harriet, but she was buoyed by her zeal for student support and rushed after them. In turn they sprinted up the stairs to the corridor of dormitories, not sure where they were running to, only that it wasn't where Harriet was.

Suddenly the Rosa felt the strangest trembling inside her, like something long imprisoned was breaking loose.

And then the floor beneath them fell through.

It wasn't half as dramatic as you might think falling through the floor would be, just painful. Rosa was used to being thrown about, but Chrisy wasn't and she had certainly had never fallen 8 feet onto a table. Although to be honest the table was probably what had saved her from more serious injuries. However Chrisy was still in a pretty bad shape, she had of course in true Chrisy style shaken of the incident as a pure accident.

The headmistress was less dismissive.

Lillian Havering was a tall, brunette who was never seen out of her pinstripe suits. Ms Havering he taken over from her father Dr Donald Havering, who as he became increasingly riddled by Parkinson's and had been forced to stepped down as headmaster last year and now resided with his wife in a cosy bungalow a few km south of Keystone city. Ms Havering was nothing like her loving, humorous father who liked to be completely involved in each students welfare, instead she kept to the financial and management side of things. Despite being held nowhere near in such high esteem as her beloved father among the general student body, Rosa quietly respected and understood why Ms Havering was the way she was. Ms Havering had been forced to give up a promising career on at JP Morgan Chase to take over her father's position at the institute. A position she had probably felt that she had a duty to take, thought it clearly wasn't what she had wanted from life, she wasn't her father's daughter in that respect. But had taken to this challenge the same what Rosa assumed she had taken on self inflated hedge fund mangers, with gusto and without hesitating.

Whoever was responsible for the incident on the girl's west bedroom corridor is asked to come to Headmistresses office on the understanding that if they do not and are subsequently found the consequences will be significantly worse.

Ms Havering

"Wow she doesn't mince her words does she." Rosa commented as her and Wally read the message pinned on the common room notice board.

"Do they know who did it then?"

She shook her head. "No. I mean would you hand yourself in after reading that?"

"It does say that if you hand yourself in that that you'll get off easier."

Rosa snuck him a look. "Not much easier. Everybody knows Ms Havering's legendarily strict when it comes to stuff like this."

"But they must have some idea who did it?" Wally said thoughtfully "I mean how many students are powerful enough to bring down entire floors."

"More than you'd think. A fair few. Thing is only specific powers that can do that sort of thing. They're saying that it just crumbled." Rosa scowled thinking of her friend in the institutes' infirmary.

He shrugged, then said as if he'd read her mind. "It'll unravel don't stress." Then with a grin reached across and took her hand. "Besides now you can add falling through a floor to your list of exploits."

"What?" She laughed "Right after getting thrashed by an ninety year old?"

"I think Psiom's closer to a hundred, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

They walked from the noticeboard through to the quad, where the sun was high in the cloud scattered sky and the air smelled of cut grass.

"Where have you been?"

He shrugged. "I just darted off to the tower."

"How are they?"

"Same as always, Robin and Star are all over each over, Raven's reading and BB and Cy on the console."

"Ahh." Roe said with a giggle. "That's why you went then to top Cy's high score."

"No. Well yes partly, but that wasn't the main reason."

"Oh? You really think I'm buying that West?"

"I wanted to pick this up." And seemingly from nowhere he produced a large, white envelope.

Rosa didn't say anything, she watched him flap the envelop about for a bit until he asked. "Well aren't you going to ask what's in it?"

Rosa smiled at his predictability. "Who says I want to know?"

He almost whined. "Come on Rosie."

"Alright then." She mock relented.

He broke into a beaming grin and whipped a empty picture frame out, it was carved with intricate birds. "Raven was having a clear out of some of her stuff. I figured you could draw something and we could frame it and decorate our Flash/Jinx base with it, she's guaranteed me it has no magical properties, so we won't be swallowed by a black hole or anything."

"That a great idea." Rosa felt a well of emotion open inside her. It was rather sweet.

Sat at a desk in her little room off the girl's corridor, Rosa stared intently down at the piece of paper she was expertly moving her pencil across, drawing something only she could quite see.

Beneath her fingers Rosa felt the paper twisted and crinkled, she sharply pulled her fingers away and she sat horrified as the paper writhed and contorted like it was being tortured. Until it finally stopped moving and all that was sat on the middle of her desk was a shriveled sheet of A4. Rosa couldn't quite take in what she had just witnessed, one minute she had sat drawing the next she was watching a piece of what should have been inanimate paper appear to die before her eyes.

But her shock quickly turned to anger, she lived in a building holding a copiousness number of people 'gifted' in such ways making a piece of A4 appear to 'die' was a simple away the feeling of stupidity for actually being frozen by the sight of her paper coming to life Rosa let the rage at whoever thought it was funny or a good way to spend a boring evening to freak out the local hard nut.

She already had a very good idea who had done the deed. Riley Samson.

Riley was only just 13 but was already in almost complete control of his molecular manipulation powers, it wasn't just this that led Rosa to assume it was him, she had previously had a number of run ins with him for his arrogant and bullying attitude.

Rosa found him easily, he was with his little 'posse' hung around the pinball machine in the recreation room, trying to act far more worldly wise than he really was, with his pierced ears and jeans slung ridiculously low, showing off his vibrant boxer shorts to the world and surrounded by equally ridiculously attired friends.

"Riley." Rosa almost snarled. But it was lost under the noise from the pinball machine.

The already simmering rage inside her boiled over and she scream. "Riley Samson, what the hell'd think you're playing at!"

His mates backed away, but he didn't even budge. "It called a pinball machine. Duh."

All Rosa wanted in that moment was to go over and wring his neck. "Don't play games Riley. This isn't funny, it's sick."

Finally as ball finally fell into a hole he looked up. "I don't know what you're talking 'bout Posy."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Rosa wasn't really keen on telling all of his friends about her drawings.

Riley looked genuinely confused. "Like I said I don't have a clue what you're on about. But." He sniggered. "Hats off to the about guy who got you so cheesed off."

She scowled, she was acutely aware that fuchsia sparks were playing between her fingers.

"Riley." She threatened.

"Yes candyfloss?"

Rosa's scowl deepened. "You even think about trying that again and I'll pull your jeans up so high it's take you weeks to find the seam."

Wagging his eyebrows Riley took a step towards her, Rosa didn't move. "Sounds pretty inviting."

"Tuh." Rosa turned away, disgusted. She strode away, leaving Riley and his mates laughing in the rec room.

Annoyed and incensed Rosa really didn't feel like going back to her room and having to look at the remains of her drawings. So instead she grabbed her coat and left the institute through it's huge, reinforced double doors out onto the dark, rainy Keystone city evening.

With her big military style boots carving through the puddles, her fists stuffed into the pockets of her thick, purple coat and topped off with one of her characteristic cold glares she sent any rare passer by scuttling.

After ten minutes of this she came out of the maze of streets to a park lit by only the odd lamppost. Once upon a time she would have been thinking of painful and humiliating ways to get Riley back for earlier, but a couple of years of do-goodery had, though she would never admit it. She wasn't even sure it was him, he had looked quite confused back in the rec room. The memory of this drove her fists deeper into her pockets.

Further into the park she came upon a tall, bronze statue of. Rosa immediately felt her spirits rise and a small smile began to grace her lips. With his hands on hips and his head held high he looked the epitome of heroism. Her fingers reached out and brushed the cold metal copies of his. It was only the briefest touch but the result was instantly obvious, from where Rosa had momentarily touched the statue it had turned green and it was already spreading up his arm and across his torso.

Rosa gasped, horrified, unsure what to do she simply stood there and watched the statue age before her eyes. Within a minute the statue was completely green and looked like it had been standing there in the park for decades instead of the few months it actually had.

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**What do you think? My grammer is terrible I know. Please review. Thanks for reading.  
**


	6. Running part 6

**Love is Killing Me- Yes they are all connected. I wrote them all as one big story, but it needed serious editing so I'm chopping it into chapters as I write it. Once it's finished one shots will follow. Thanks for the review.**

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Frantically Rosa mashed the entry into the keyboard on the institutes doors and slid a card though. She ran through the foyer, not noticing how she dripped onto the tiled floor.

In her purple painted bedroom she pulled a rucksack from under the bed, Roe stuffed it with t-shirts, jeans, toiletries and as much as cash as she could carry.

Then she crouched in front of my wardrobe and slid out a thin, leather briefcase from beneath it. It was much heavier than the average suitcase, which would seem strange considering it's small size, but Rosa knew it weighed so much because of the layer of bullet-proof metal hidden under the finishing of leather. Rosa perched on the edge of the bed, her thin fingers playing with the combination lock, before leaving it on the select 3 numbers, but the briefcase was still solidly shut. From the back pocket of my jeans she pulled a JIMI wallet out and removed what appeared to be a motel loyalty card, but she pressed it against the metal of the catch. There was no click, but Roe knew it was unlocked and she gently lifted it open. Inside it was decidedly sparse for the complexity and technology of the briefcase.

It contained a slim folder, a neatly folded purple dress and a key to the little safe/cabinet where a pair of purple, platform boots were hidden. Letting her eyes eat up the familiar sight for only a second she then looked away to remove a wasp coloured communicator from an inside pocket of her coat and placed it beside the key.

And with only a soft click to mark it she closed another chapter of her life.

There was no goodbye or tears, only a simple note left on the centre of the desk and Rosa stole away into the night.

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**It's very brief but I will be updating amazingly soon. Please review!**


	7. Running part 7

Wally,

I'm sorry. This letter will be your last memory of me. I have left for good, without any intention of coming back. There is no tangible reason why I have decided to move on. It's just for the best, it's not your fault or anyone else's.

Tell Chrisy I am so sorry, to get better and to go for that degree, because if there is anyone who can it's her.

Also make sure Riley Samson knows that he was right, as much as it pains me to write it.

Send my apologies to the tower, every-thing's in the case.

I am really sorry that you had to hear this in a letter, it may seem unexpected, but it isn't to me. I tried to stay, I honestly did, but I've spent my entire life running, even more than you have and I can't stop.

There is no doubt in my heart that you'll find someone who deserves you. Just one tip; keep a lid on the flirting with other girls, it does get tiring!

So this is it. Again I am so sorry it has to be this way, thank you the last two amazing years, you have changed me and shown me that I don't have to be bad luck.

Have a brilliant life, you deserve one.

Rosa

Wally stared at the neat cursive handwriting, attempting to take in what it said. How could such beautiful handwriting say such a terrible thing? Sure it danced around the subject a bit and flowered it with apologies, but the bare bones was that she had left. Jinx had upped and left without a word to him or anyone else. Less than 24 hours ago they had stood in the quad talking about decorating the base. And who the hell was Riley Samson?

Unable to stand any longer he fell into her chair by her desk. Outside Harriet and the rest of the senior staff were buzzing around trying to work out what to do next. He caught snatches of their conversations;

"Should we phone the police? She was almost 18 and the questions they would ask! But this was completely out of the blue, it didn't make sense."

_"This letter will be your last memory of me."_

The word left me feeling a dull pain in stomach, like someone had punched exactly where they knew it would hurt the most. He supposed Jinx had in a way.

_"Just one tip; keep a lid on the flirting with other girls, it does get tiring!"_

Was that why she had left, he had known his flirtatious nature had gotten on her nerves, or was it just an attempt a sick break up joke.?

_"I tried to stay, I honestly did, but I've spent my entire life running, even more than you have, and I can't stop."_

It was pretty simple, he hadn't been enough to stay for. Whatever her reason it boiled down to one thing; he wasn't enough to keep her.

With one final scan of the letter one more, then crushed it with one hand.

He stood and flicked the letter right into the waste paper bin. On the corridor he didn't acknowledge Harriet or the other staff. Instead he walked straight pass them through the corridors, through the heavy door and down a dark alley, clutching the reinforced suitcase, not noticing the cracked sidewalk. Wally never emerged from the alley, Kid Flash however did.

* * *

Jinx had been homeless before, she couldn't count the amount of times she had ticked 'of no fixed abode' at the police station' when she had gotten dragged in for purse snatching This was in the days before HIVE academy, when world domination and the Brotherhood of Evil weren't yet on her agenda.

At least now she had her holographic rings, people considered the homeless less than human, which was hard enough in itself, but when you added pink hair and eyes to equation you found yourself a freak among freaks. So she felt she should relish the anominity the rings brought, that was until they ran out of power…

Hearing the sound of footsteps Jinx pulled her sleeping bag tighter around and tired to make herself blend in with the shrubbery as best she could. She breathed a sigh of relief as the footsteps faded away. Of course she look after herself perfectly well if it came to it. But that would mean blowing her cover.

In the glow of her new $10 pay as you go phone she checked the time, 2.30am. In three hours it would start to get light and the first early morning commuters would start to bustle past on their way to their respective jobs. And someone would come along and move her from her less than comfortable position in bushes next to Wal-Mart.

She be feeling like shit, but things weren't anywhere shit as they could be. This was because of one simple reason; money.

Kid Flash had often said that money didn't make the world go round, love did. But he had never been broke, so he wouldn't know that in fact money did.

And it was the only reason why Jinx wasn't completely destitute. She had a plan, she would catch a train to Central City, rent a motel room there, then catch a bus or a train to the furthest city Jinx could afford, once there she would rent a cheap, modest apartment and get a job, maybe as a waitress, where qualifications and identification weren't vital. She'd see where it went from here.

* * *

KF leaned on the kitchen counter in the Tower, maps spread around him, certain sectors shaded in red.

"I've searched the entire north, east and south districts and most of the west, but I don't think she would go there. I'm going to stretch out towards Central City then Central City itself, then…" He paused, running a hand through his hair.

Robin reached across and put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll find her, don't worry."

"She could be halfway across the world by now. I should be out there looking for her."

"She hasn't used her passport so she must still be in the country." Cyborg said as comfortingly as he could.

Kid Flash almost laughed. "Come on, you're all thinking it. If she has left does that mean she's gone back to them, HIVE, or even if she hasn't is she letting her morals slip? Will they slip enough for break the law, fake passports included?" He shook his head. "Answer is I honestly don't know, but I know she would never go back to stealing and that means she can't go back to the HIVE 5."

"That is good is it not." Starfire ventured.  
Raising a hand to his face frowned, "Is it? At least with them she would have people to look out for her. After everything Gizmo, Mammoth and maybe even Seymour would still have her back. I don't know what's worse, her alone, or her as a criminal."

"Wally." Robin whispered

"Don't bother Robin."

* * *

**Please review. Criticism is welcome.**


	8. Running part 8

**Like I've said before I'm British, so I sometimes use spellings which are different in the USA and because I use open office and it doesn't like British spellings quite often I Americanize them. But sometimes, because I'm such a rebel (!), I don't. Hopefully this doesn't bother anyone, because at the end of the day I am British and without knowing it American characters can find themselves saying British things (say, pavement inside of sidewalk), despite me desperately trying not. **

**I do try to make American characters sound American.**

**KF fan- Wasp coloured simply means that's the communicator was black and yellow, because they are the classic colours of a wasp. Bees are too stereotypically black and yellow, but I always see bees as too cuddly to use when describing an object during a sad/angst moment. Were as wasps are seemingly more sharp and cruel in my mind. (Not that I make a habit of cuddling bees). Thanks KF fan for you're many reviews.  
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**Thank you reviewers, you're reviews mean lots to me.  
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Jinx had been completely alone before, it is horrific, it's impossible to imagine what it feels like living in the constant knowledge that if you were to die there wouldn't be a single soul to shed a tear or feel a fragment of grief. To be fated to have your ashes scattered in some field among fellow unknowns or even worse to lie in an unmarked grave which would never be graced by a single flower.

She contemplated this on the train from Central City towards Fawcett City. What exactly happened to the possessions of the dead and the dispossessed? She wasn't sure anyone would want her Gothic, purple t-shirts, maybe the black skinny jeans though. Maybe some good might come of her death, someone somewhere might get a decent pair of jeans.

Jinx was abruptly shaken from her dismal chain of thoughts by a young mother holding her sons hand and heading for the part of empty part of the train where Jinx was sat as far away from the rest of the passengers as she could manage. And with her zipper hoodie's hood pulled up and her eyes accented with lashings of eyeliner she had managed to frighten away any other passengers. Jinx was good at that.

But this mother either wasn't as bigoted towards the way people chose to dress as her fellow passengers or she just hadn't noticed the freak on in the last carriage of the train.

Scowling Jinx came to her feet, slinging her bag pack over her shoulder and heading straight for the carriage door. Even being not too close to people made her skin crawl in fear. What if she lost control and hurt the child? She could never live with a child's blood her hands.

She must have looked crazy stood in the section between carriages when the carriage right next to her was almost empty. But she had more important things on her mind than what people thought of her. Her body was still sore from sleeping rough, she couldn't wait to get to her motel room. Despite knowing she was going to have to stay in a dingy motel where people came and went with their coat collars pulled up and the mattress would be bumpy and uncomfortable, she considered it heaven compared to sleeping rough.

Scrunched up in the corner of the compartment was a copy of yesterdays Central City news, Jinx straightened it out, below the bold headline was a smaller headline, she read the first line;

Half of Titans East arrive in Central City to temporally protect the city while KF and Jinx take a sabbatical.

Her abdominal muscles tensed as breathed sharply. Not that she had expected him to give up without a fight.

She had been stupid and selfish when she had written that note, she should have written a lie, something so vile and painful he wouldn't have wanted her to stay; Said that she had met someone else or something equally horrible and untruthful. Now she was going to have to do the impossible; outrun the fastest boy alive.

But selfishly she had not wanted him to hate her or cause him pain. Which was pointless because she was certainly causing him pain now, at least with a bigger lie he might have moved on faster.

Sinking to the grimy floor, Jinx held her head in her hands. What was she doing? For an hour she sat there, ignored by her fellow passengers and not caring about it.

The train ground to a halt with an ear-splitting screech, Jinx looked up, surprised, they couldn't be there yet, could they?

Over the tannoy the voice of a middle aged chain smoker croaked "We have been instructed to make a brief stop so that officers may search for a missing person that they belief is on board. We expect to resume in a couple of minutes. Apologies for any inconvenience caused."

There were groans of annoyance through the train, one man in the next carriage muttered something about the stupid homeless rat who was delaying them, after all who cared about the homeless? The fear that had suddenly gripped her didn't allow her to feel even the slightest bit of anger at the bigoted man.

Somewhere at the other end of the train Jinx heard the police getting onto the train. Pulling her hood up further she stood and casually made her way along the train to the the last carriage where the toilets were. She slipped into a vacant one and locked the door behind her.

The compartment was tiny, only allowing for a toilet, sink and small window.

Standing on the toilet lid Jinx sent pink sparks from her fingertips to patterned window pane, watching as the wooden frame rotted away and the window cracked. The dilapidated wood fell away as she eased the glass shards away. Once the window was completely free from glass she stuffed her rucksack through so that it fell onto the platform below, she quickly followed it, making use of her gymnasts muscles. Thankfully the platform was empty, save a scraggy cat sprawled out in the sun.

The cat gave her a look which said "What'ch think you're doing on my patch?" with it's sleepy, lidded eyes. Before rolling over.

Picking up her rucksack Jinx hurriedly jumped a fence from the platform to a green street side below.

This was just fucking fantastic, Jinx thought angrily, she didn't even know where the hell she was.  
After 10 minutes of walking in a direction that might have been the way she had just come from for all she knew she came across a dingy motel. Jinx didn't bother to hesitate, it was the best she was going to get in a place like this and nothing was as bad as the ground. At the very least it gave her a place to find out where the hell she was and to get her head together.

Yanking back the grubby shower curtain Jinx heaved herself under the calcimined shower head. Then shivered as the cold drops of water rained down on her. The frog shower radio was playing a crackly Johnny Cash classic. For a couple of minutes she just stood there letting the droplets wash over her, then she took a sponge and scrubbed herself until her skin hurt. But no matter how hard she scrubbed she couldn't wash away the memories or the loneliness. Finally before she stepped out of the shower she turned the temperature knob to it's coldest setting, the freezing water shocking her nerves.

In her room she curled up, foetal, like a baby on the bed. But she got less sleep than in the shrubs beside Wal-Mart and her short lapses into sleep were claimed by nightmares.

* * *

In the dark of the ops room, lit only by a desk light, Kid Flash stared intently down at maps and diagrams, the only noise was the sound of the fingers on his left hand drumming on the table. If he had stepped back and looked at the scene he might have laughed at how he mirrored Robin, on the other hand he might not.

The city map had been replaced by a map of the country, it was scattered with post-its and areas were shaded in.

Someone flicked the light switch and the room was bathed in light, blinked as his eyes adjusted to it.

"Don't you think you should get some rest?" The classic Raven monotone echoed around the room, in a way it really shouldn't have done in such an enclosed space.

"No, I'd rather be here."

"Do you want to get ill?"

"I thought It would have been obvious what I wanted." He covered his bloodshot eyes from the light. "Turn the light off before you go."

She flicked the switch, but stayed to take in the sight. The only light was from a desk lamp and it cast a long shadow from the hunched figure at the table, his shoulders rigid from stress and there was dark marks under each eye.

"Maybe you should let her go."

From the pits of his grief and exhaustion a growl erupted "No."

She gave a nod and slipped out onto the corridor.

* * *

Even in the bland colour scheme of her motel room she couldn't escape his siren red hair or his brilliant blue eyes.

Sliding off the holographic rings Jinx, took a wire from her rucksack to recharge them, because of their complex technology and small batteries they could only be recharged 6 times, this was their 5th.

Then she looking up she saw herself in the motel room's mirror. Her pink irises shimmered in the flickering fluorescent bed side lamp, they were freakishly bright compared to the black of her cat like pupils. The poker straight waves of her shocking pink hair draped down to her lower back, it was damp from her morning shower. She didn't need to look in a mirror to see her skin, she looked down her hands, even the vibrant pink nail varnish she had applied before this madness had began failed to detract from the concrete gray of her skin. Jinx had found that you could dye your hair, wear contacts but no matter how much fake tan you caked on she couldn't get rid of that tinge of gray.

When she was little she lain in bed at night thinking about the parallels between her appearance and her personality, and eventually she had come to the conclusion that the concrete gray was an analogy of her hard, cold personality.

The concrete had cracked and the weeds were seeping through.

Feeling slightly repulsed she slipped the recharged rings back on and the pink hair turned black, the pink eyes became grey and her grey skin turned a caramel shade.

She looked into the mirror at the Indian features of her face, the face, which might truly have been hers if she hadn't become a 'freak'. The ring only changed colours and her peculiar pupils, not features, but she felt so different with the rings on.

If she had never run into Wally she would have done a bunk before daylight, thus avoiding the bill, she might have even emptied the cash register if she'd gotten the time as well. But times had changed and even the idea went against everything she had embraced over the past two years.

So instead she left the necessary amount taped to the cash machine with an extra $5 for the map she'd 'borrowed' from the magazine rack.

It was a short trek to the interstate and a good few km to Fawcett City from there.

* * *

Every muscle aching and his mind swimming from exhaustion Kid Flash collapsed onto the bed, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees. The room was dark, this was helped by the deep purple walls and rugs which adorned the wooden floor. It wasn't his room, it was Rosa's, actually he supposed it wasn't anyone's anymore. From his position he could see the screwed up sheet in the wastepaper basket. Was it really only two days ago he had thrown it there? It felt like a lifetime.

His communicator beeped urgently, reluctantly he opened it. The masked face of Robin looked back at him. "We've got a lead." And with those few words his heart leaped and all his misery was forgotten.

He was at the tower in seconds.

"When the holographic rings are recharged they send of a brief pulse of radio wave which was picked up a satellite, rather like a satellite phone or GPS." Cyborg explained

"Do know where she is?"

"The rings were recharged this morning and it's only accurate within 10 miles, but yes we have an idea."

"Where?"  
"Edgeton, Illinois." Cy had barely finished but KF was already gone in blur of red and yellow.

* * *

**I'm no scientist so I'm sure that last part was drastically wrong but I'm allowed to use a bit of creative licence aren't I?**

**As you may haven seen from my monologue at the start I'm in a mood for writing today, I had promised to write more over the holidays, unfortunately certain unforeseen events beyond my control occurred. Sorry.**


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